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Organisationseinheit der BAM
Eingeladener Vortrag
- nein (68)
Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was optimized for speciation analysis of gadolinium-based contrast agents in environmental samples, in particular surface river waters and plants. Surface water samples from the Teltow channel, near Berlin, were investigated over a distance of 5 km downstream from the influx of a wastewater treatment plant. The total concentration of gadolinium increased significantly from 50 to 990 ngL-1 due to the influx of the contrast agents. After complete mixing with the river water, the concentration remained constant over a distance of at least 4 km. Two main substances [Dotarem® (Gd-DOTA) and Gadovist® (Gd-BT-DO3A)] have been identified in the river water using standards. A gadolinium-based contrast agent, possibly Gd-DOTA (Dotarem®), was also detected in water plant samples taken from the Teltow channel. Therefore, uptake of contrast agents [Gadovist® (Gd-BTDO3A), Magnevist® (Gd-DTPA), Omniscan® (Gd-DTPA-BMA), Dotarem® (Gd-DOTA), and Multihance® (Gd-BOPTA)] by plants was investigated in a model experiment using Lepidium sativum (cress plants). HILICICP-MS was used for identification of different contrast agents, and a first approach for quantification using aqueous standard solutions was tested. For speciation analysis, all investigated contrast agents could be extracted from the plant tissues with a recovery of about 54 % for Multihance® (Gd-BOPTA) up to 106 % for Gadovist® (Gd-BT-DO3A). These experiments demonstrate that all contrast agents investigated are transported from the roots to the leaves where the highest content was measured.
Measurement and detection of labelled antibodies: New applicacations in oncology and pathology
(2011)
We have studied the binding of the toxic element Cd to plant proteins and have used for this purpose spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) plants treated with 50 µM Cd(II) as a model system. Laser ablation ICP-MS has been applied for the screening of Cd-binding proteins after separation by native anodal polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (AN-PAGE) and electroblotting onto membranes. The main Cd-carrying protein band was isolated and investigated by nano-electrospray ionizationFourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry after tryptic digestion. By this procedure, the main Cd-binding protein was identified as ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO). The latter enzyme has been discussed in the literature to be affected in its activity by oxidative stress induced by Cd. However, in this paper it is demonstrated for the first time that RuBisCO directly binds Cd and thus may be directly altered by this toxic element. A commercially available protein standard was used to verify direct binding of Cd(II) to the protein, even without metabolisation. The resulting metalprotein complex was shown to be stable enough to survive AN-PAGE separation and electroblotting. By the use of size exclusion chromatography coupled with ICP-MS it was demonstrated that the RuBisCO protein standard shows similar metal binding properties to Cd. Furthermore, essential elements such as Mn(II), Fe(II) and Cu(II), which are known to possibly replace the RuBisCO activator Mg(II), were investigated in addition to Zn(II). Again, similar binding properties in comparison to the plant protein were observed.
A new laser ablation (LA)-ICP-MS method for single cell and cell nucleus imaging was developed. Therein, iodine was employed as an elemental dye for fibroblast cells and for thin tissue sections. At an incubation time of 60 s, iodine is located mainly within the cell nuclei. This effect was illustrated in fibroblast cells, and iodine signal within the cell nucleus was as high as 5 × 104 cps at 4 µm laser spot size. The surrounding cytoplasm was iodinated as well, but to a lesser extent. The spatial resolution attained was sufficient to detect even smaller cell nuclei within a liver biopsy tissue. Furthermore, iodine was successfully employed for biomolecule labeling and we demonstrated that iodine signal increased with increasing thickness of a palatine tonsil tissue. Thus, the use of iodine as an internal standard to correct for tissue inhomogeneities in LA-ICP-MS was investigated for the simultaneous detection of two tumor markers (Her 2 and CK 7) in breast cancer tissue. Additionally, lanthanide background resulting from glass ablation can be corrected for by Eu standardization.
A laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS)-based methodology is presented for Pt, Cu, and Zn bioimaging on whole kidney 3 µm sagittal sections from rats treated with pharmacological doses of cisplatin, which were sacrificed once renal damage had taken place. Pt turned out to accumulate in the kidney cortex and corticomedullary junction, corresponding to areas where the proximal tubule S3 segments (the most sensitive cells to cisplatin nephrotoxicity) are located. This demonstrates the connection between platinum accumulation and renal damage proved by histological examination of HE-stained sections and evaluation of serum and urine biochemical parameters. Cu and Zn distribution maps revealed a significant displacement in cells by Pt, as compared to control tissues. A dramatic decrease in the Pt accumulation in the cortex was observed when cilastatin was coadministered with cisplatin, which can be related to its nephroprotective effect. Excellent imaging reproducibility, sensitivity (LOD 50 fg), and resolution (down to 8 µm) were achieved, demonstrating that LA–ICP–MS can be applied as a microscopic metal detector at cellular level in certain tissues. A simple and quick approach for the estimation of Pt tissue levels was proposed, based on tissue spiking.
We optimized multiplexed immunohistochemistry (IHC) on breast cancer tissue. Up to 20 tumor markers are routinely evaluated for one patient, and thus, a common analysis results in a series of time consuming staining procedures. As an alternative, we used lanthanides for labeling of primary antibodies, which are applied in IHC. Laser ablation (LA) ICPMS was elaborated as a detection tool for multiplexed IHC of tissue sections. In this study, we optimized sample preparation steps and LA ICPMS parameters to achieve a sufficient signal-to-background ratio. The results prove the high selectivity of applied antibodies, which was sustained after labeling. Up to three tumor markers (Her 2, CK 7, and MUC 1) were detected simultaneously in a single multiplex analysis of a 5 µm thin breast cancer tissue at a laser spot size of 200 µm. Furthermore, the LA ICPMS results indicate a significantly higher expression level of MUC 1 compared to Her 2 and CK 7, which was not obvious from the conventionally stained tissue sections.
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was utilized for spatially resolved bioimaging of the distribution of silver and gold nanoparticles in individual fibroblast cells upon different incubation experiments. High spatial resolution was achieved by optimization of scan speed, ablation frequency, and laser energy. Nanoparticles are visualized with respect to cellular substructures and are found to accumulate in the perinuclear region with increasing incubation time. On the basis of matrix-matched calibration, we developed a method for quantification of the number of metal nanoparticles at the single-cell level. The results provide insight into nanoparticle/cell interactions and have implications for the development of analytical methods in tissue diagnostics and therapeutics.
LA-ICP-MS an new tool for development of methods for imaging of biological and clinical samples
(2012)
The analysis of biomolecules requires highly sensitive and selective detection methods capable of tolerating a complex, biological matrix. First applications of biomolecule detection by ICP-MS relied on the use of heteroelements as a label for quantification. However, the combination of immunoassays and ICP-MS facilitates multiparametric analyses through elemental tagging, and provides a powerful alternative to common bioanalytical methods. This approach extends the detection of biomarkers in clinical diagnosis, and has the potential to provide a deeper understanding of the investigated biological system. The results might lead to the detection of diseases at an early stage, or guide treatment plans. Immunoassays are well accepted and established for diagnostic purposes, albeit ICP-MS is scarcely applied for the detection of immune-based assays. However, the screening of biomarkers demands high throughput and multiplex/multiparametric techniques, considering the variety of analytes to be queried. Finally, quantitative information on the expression level of biomarkers is highly desirable to identify abnormalities in a given organism. Thus, it is the aim of this review to introduce the fundamentals, and to discuss the enormous strength of ICP-MS for the detection of different immunoassays on the basis of selected applications, with a special focus on LA-ICP-MS.
We have developed lanthanide labeling strategies for antibodies to adapt conventional biochemical workflows like Western blot immunoassays for detection by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis with a special interest to apply the multi-element capabilities of ICP-MS for the design of multiplexed immunoassays. In this paper the lanthanide labeling of antibodies with MeCAT was investigated and the reaction conditions were optimized for application in a Western blot immunoassay analyzed by LA-ICP-MS. Furthermore, the MeCAT labeling strategy was compared with two other commercially available labeling reagents, MAXPAR and SCN-DOTA. As a proof-of-principle experiment chemically induced alterations of cytochrome P450 protein expression were investigated and the suitability of the differentially labeled antibodies for Western blot immunoassays of a complex liver microsomal protein fraction was tested. Limits of detection (LODs) in the lower fmol range were reached in the Western blot application using MeCAT and MAXPAR as element labeling reagents, whereas even sub-fmol LODs can be achieved in a dot blot experiment for the pure antibodies.
The paper presents a new multi-parametric protein microarray embracing the multi-analyte capabilities of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The combination of high throughput reverse phase protein microarrays with element tagged antibodies and LA-ICP-MS makes it possible to detect and quantify many proteins or biomarkers in multiple samples simultaneously. A proof of concept experiment is performed for the analysis of cytochromes particularly of cytochrome P450 enzymes, which play an important role in the metabolism of xenobiotics such as toxicants and drugs. With the aid of the LA-ICP-MS based multi-parametric reverse phase protein microarray it was possible to analyse 8 cytochromes in 14 different proteomes in one run. The methodology shows excellent detection limits in the lower amol range and a very good linearity of R² ≥ 0.9996 which is a prerequisite for the development of further quantification strategies.
An immunoassay was developed for ochratoxin A (OTA) detection in wine and two completely different detection methods were compared: ICP-MS and photometry. For labelling, we applied secondary antibodies conjugated with gold nanoparticles for ICP-MS and with horseradish peroxidase for photometric detection, respectively. Detection limits of the assay were determined as 0.003 µg L-1 for both detection methods. OTA in wine was determined below the EU limit value of 2 µg kg-1. The measurement range was between 0.01 and 1 µg L-1 for ICP-MS and photometric detection. Assay precision detected by ICP-MS and photometry were similar showing that precision of the detection method has only a minor effect on total assay precision. By using BSA as a buffer additive to minimize nonspecific binding, we could also confirm that OTA strongly binds to BSA. In a comparison study of several additives, casein was found to be preferable.
For the study of bladder cancer and the identification of respective tumor markers, blood and, in particular, urine constitute suitable sources of biological material, while both harboring their specific challenges for analytics concerning low-abundance biomarkers. Dissolved proteins and nucleic acids as well as cells and cell-bound molecules can be the analytes. In urine, exfoliated bladder tumor cells have to be identified and in blood, circulating tumor cells have to be detected among huge amounts of other cells. For the detection of both low-abundance cells and molecules, their specific enrichment prior to analysis is advantageous or even necessary. Adapted methods for the analysis of proteomes and subproteomes by 2D-gel electrophoresis, multidimensional chromatography and antibody arrays are discussed. Analysis of nucleic acid-based markers exploits the high amplification power of PCR and modified PCR combined with previous (subtransciptomes) or subsequent (microarray) enrichment to sensitively and specifically detect markers. DNA mutations, DNA-methylation status and apoptotic DNA fragments, as well as levels of ribonucleic acids including microRNAs, can be analyzed by means of these methods. Finally, the challenge of identifying circulating tumor cells and assigning them to their original tissue is critically discussed.
Analytische Chemie 2008/2009
(2010)
A huge number of functions and reactions can be performed by proteins merely based on their amino acids and their spatial arrangement which results in a specific geometric and electronic environment. The diversity and efficiency of functions, however, can be increased by protein-bound cofactors which fulfil their task in close interaction with the surrounding amino acid side chains. Among these cofactors, metals play an important role. They can be bound to proteins directly via specific amino acids such as cysteine and histidine, for example in zinc finger proteins or in iron sulfur cluster proteins. Another possibility is their integration into the 3D-structure of a protein via a prosthetic group. Porphyrine or porphyrine-like molecules with copper or iron as central bound metal ions constitute important structures in this respect.
Neue Anwendungen der anorganischen Massenspektrometrie in den Lebens- und Materialwissenschaften
(2011)
A method for the analysis of Pt–protein complexes in biological samples, previously subjected to cisplatin treatment, has been developed. Proteins were separated by gel electrophoresis, and those bound to Pt were detected with high sensitivity by LA-ICP-(SF)-MS. Pt-containing spots were in-gel digested with trypsin, and the peptides produced identified using nHPLC-ESI-LTQ-FT-MS/MS. The influence of protein separation conditions, staining and gel processing prior to laser ablation on Ptprotein bonds preservation have been evaluated using standard proteins incubated with cisplatin. 2-DE separation under non-reducing conditions followed by either Coomassie blue brilliant or silver staining is appropriate for Pt–protein complexes, achieving a good separating resolution of the proteins in biological samples. Direct LA-ICP-MS analysis of glycerol-treated dried gels for Pt–protein monitoring resulted in better sensitivity, more reliable relative Pt signals and a simpler and less time-consuming approach compared to the analysis of blotted membranes. Ablation of gels allowed tackling protein identification of Pt-spots in the remaining non-ablated material in the gel, making it unnecessary to run several gels in parallel for separate Pt detection and protein identification. By using this approach, Pt coordinated to proteins, such as α-2-macroglobulin, transferrin, albumin or hemoglobin, was detected in the serum from a rat treated in vivo with cisplatin after nrSDS-PAGE separation. Furthermore, the first complete LA-ICP-MS metalloprotein contour map in a 2-DE gel has been produced, in this case for the detection of Pt–protein complexes in renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (RPTECs) incubated with cisplatin. Several proteins were identified in those spots containing Pt, which may have a connection with the drug-induced nephrotoxicity mainly affecting this cell type in the kidney.
Future challenges for ICP-MS
(2013)
Future challenges for ICP-MS
(2013)
A micro-droplet generator (µDG) sample introduction system was coupled to a sector field ICP-MS instrument to investigate the analytical figures of merit with respect to single cell analysis. The sector field instrument was operated for the first time in a fast scanning mode (E-scan) with the shortest time resolution of 100 µs to measure the single droplet time resolved and using the original detector in a pulse counting mode without modification of the existing electronics. For reduction of the droplet diameter a triple pulse mode of the droplet generator was applied and a droplet diameter down to 23 µm has been achieved for this investigation with a 100% transport efficiency of droplets. Signal duration times of single droplets of less than 500 µs have been measured. Overall detection efficiencies in the range of 10-3 counts per atom have been achieved and absolute limits of detection range between 120 ag for Fe and 1.1 ag for Mg as a mean value from 1000 droplet events.
We have applied a micro droplet generator (µDG) for sample introduction of single selenized yeast cells into a sector field ICP-MS, which was operated in a fast scanning mode with sampling rates of up to 10 kHz, to measure single cells time resolved with 100 µs integration time. Selenized yeast cells have been used as a model system for preliminary investigation. The single cells to be measured have been embedded into droplets and it will be shown that the time duration of a single cell event always is about 400 to 500 µs, and thus comparable to the time duration of a droplet without a cell. A fixed droplet generation rate of 50 Hz produced equidistant signals in time of each droplet event and was advantageous to separate contribution from background and blank from the analytical signal. Open vessel digestion and a multielement analysis were performed with washed yeast cells and absolute amounts per single cell were determined for Na (0.91 fg), Mg (9.4 fg), Fe (5.9 fg), Cu (0.54 fg), Zn (1.2 fg) and Se (72 fg). Signal intensities from single cells have been measured for the elements Cu, Zn and Se, and histograms were calculated for about 1000 cell events. The mean elemental sensitivities measured here range from 0.7 counts per ag (Se) to 10 counts per ag (Zn) with RSD's from 49% (Zn) to 69% (Se) for about 1000 cell events.
Imuno-histochemical staining (IHC) of cancer biomarker on tissue sections is one of the most important analytical techniques for cancer diagnosis although standardization and quality management is tedious and differ significantly from clinic to clinic. Combining established IHC staining strategies with modern quantitative methods would increase it`s potential. We used element mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and a new ink-jet printed internal standardization approach in combination with IHC staining. The printing strategy was utilized to improve elemental image resolution and reproducibility of paraffin embedded breast cancer tissue sections in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) after conventional IHC staining as a model system to investigate the new capabilities of this technique.
Imuno-histochemical staining (IHC) of cancer biomarker on tissue sections is one of the most important analytical techniques for cancer diagnosis although standardization and quality management is tedious and differ significantly from clinic to clinic. Combining established IHC staining strategies with modern quantitative methods would increase it`s potential. We used element mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and a new ink-jet printed internal standardization approach in combination with IHC staining. The printing strategy was utilized to improve elemental image resolution and reproducibility of paraffin embedded breast cancer tissue sections in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) after conventional IHC staining as a model system to investigate the new capabilities of this technique.
This lecture is an introduction to ICP-MS with a double focusing magnetic sector mass analyzer. It offers fundamental background, a thorough discussion of analytical features, and state of the art information on applications. Different types of double focusing instruments also are considered. Specific topics include fundamental aspects of ICP-MS (physical properties of a double focusing instrument, operational characteristics in comparison with quadrupole instruments); analytical characteristics (spectral and non-spectral interferences, figures of merit in low and high resolution modes, blanks and memory effects, HPLC and GC interfaces), and applications (industrial including ultra-pure reagents and alloys, environmental, geological, and biomedical materials).
Multifunctional composite nanoprobes consisting of iron oxide nanoparticles linked to silver and gold nanoparticles, Ag–Magnetite and Au–Magnetite, respectively, were introduced by endocytic uptake into cultured fibroblast cells. The cells containing the non-toxic nanoprobes were shown to be displaceable in an external magnetic field and can be manipulated in microfluidic channels. The distribution of the composite nanostructures that are contained in the endosomal system is discussed on the basis of surfaceenhanced Raman scattering (SERS) mapping, quantitative laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) micromapping, and cryo soft X-ray tomography (cryo soft-XRT). Cryo soft-XRT of intact, vitrified cells reveals that the composite nanoprobes form intra-endosomal aggregates. The nanoprobes provide SERS signals from the biomolecular composition of their surface in the endosomal environment. The SERS data indicate the high stability of the nanoprobes and of their plasmonic properties in the harsh environment of endosomes and lysosomes. The spectra point at the molecular composition at the surface of the Ag–Magnetite and Au–Magnetite nanostructures that is very similar to that of other Composite structures, but different from the composition of pure silver and gold SERS nanoprobes used for intracellular investigations. As shown by the LA-ICP-MS data, the uptake efficiency of the magnetite composites is approximately two to three times higher than that of the pure gold and silver nanoparticles.
Safety assessment of nanoparticles (NPs) requires techniques that are suitable to quantify tissue and cellular uptake of NPs. The most commonly applied techniques for this purpose are based on inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Here we apply and compare three different ICP-MS methods to investigate the cellular uptake of TiO2 (diameter 7 or 20 nm, respectively) and Ag (diameter 50 or 75 nm, respectively) NPs into differentiated mouse neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2a cells). Cells were incubated with different amounts of the NPs. Thereafter they were either directly analyzed by laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) or were lysed and lysates were analyzed by ICP-MS and by single particle ICP-MS (SP-ICP-MS).
Elemental imaging of biological samples (bio-imaging) using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) provides spatially resolved information on element distribution (qualitative and quantitative) in thin sections of biological samples. By rastering with a laser across the sample, a two-dimensional image of the elemental distribution can be reconstructed that shows the relative intensities of the respective elements. However the method is hampered by a lack of internal standards and quantification concepts, which will be discussed in this lecture in more detail.
In liquid analysis the internal standard is used for drift correction and calibration and thus it is required that the standard should have similar physical and chemical properties similar to the analyte element during the pneumatic nebulization process, the transport, ionization and transmission into the ICP-MS. In laser ablation it should correct additionally for differences in the ablation process by laser instabilities or changes of sample properties to compensate variations or drift effects during the LA process.
The study of the distribution of the cytostatic drugs cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin along the kidney may help to understand their different nephrotoxic behavior. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) allows the acquisition of trace element images in biological tissues. However, results obtained are affected by several variations concerning the sample matrix and instrumental drifts. In this work, an internal standardization method based on printing an Ir-spiked ink onto the surface of the sample has been developed to evaluate the different distributions and accumulation levels of the aforementioned drugs along the kidney of a rat model. A conventional ink-jet printer was used to print fresh sagittal kidney tissue slices of 4 μm. A reproducible and homogenous deposition of the ink along the tissue was observed. The ink was partially absorbed on top of the tissue. Thus, this approach provides a pseudo-internal standardization, due to the fact that the ablation sample and internal standard take place subsequently and not simultaneously. A satisfactory normalization of LA-ICP-MS bioimages and therefore a reliable comparison of the kidney treated with different Pt-based drugs were achieved even for tissues analyzed on different days. Due to the complete ablation of the sample, the transport of the ablated internal standard and tissue to the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is practically taking place at the same time. Pt accumulation in the kidney was observed in accordance to the dosages administered for each drug. Although the accumulation rate of cisplatin and oxaliplatin is high in both cases, their Pt distributions differ. The strong nephrotoxicity observed for cisplatin and the absence of such side effect in the case of oxaliplatin could explain these distribution differences. The homogeneous distribution of oxaliplatin in the cortical and medullar areas could be related with its higher affinity for cellular transporters such as MATE2-k.
In this book many practical hints are given and analytical problems are discussed by the authors from their own experiences. A critical assessment of the methods is given, which is most important for decision makers to select a good combination of complementary methods to solve practical analytical problems.
The development of iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications requires accurate histological evaluation. Prussian blue iron staining is widely used but may be unspecific when tissues contain substantial endogenous iron. Here we tested whether microscopy by laser ablation coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is sensitive enough to analyze accumulation of very small iron oxide particles (VSOP) doped with europium in tissue sections.
Determination of tributyltin in whole water matrices under the European water framework directive
(2016)
Monitoring of water quality is important to control water pollution. Contamination of the aquatic systemhas a large effect on human health and the environment. Under the European Water Framework Directive(WFD) 2000/60/EC and the related directive on environmental quality standards (EQS) in the field of waterpolicy 2008/105/EC, the need for sensitive reference methods was highlighted. Since tributyltin (TBT) isone of the WFD listed priority substances a method was developed which is capable to qualify and quantifythe pollutant at the required low WFD EQS of 0.2 ng L⁻¹ in whole water bodies, i.e. in non-filtered watersamples with dissolved organic carbon and suspended particulate matter. Therefore special attention waspaid on the interaction of TBT with the suspended particulate matter and humic substances to obtain acomplete representation of the pollution in surface waters. Different water samples were investigatedvarying the content of organic dissolved and suspended matter. Quantification was performed usingspecies-specific isotope dilution (SSID) and gas chromatography with inductively coupled plasma massspectrometry (GC-ICP-MS). Different sample treatment strategies were evaluated and compared. Theprocess of internal standard addition was investigated and optimized, hence the equilibrium betweeninternal standards and matrix is of primary importance to perform accurate SSID. Samples spiked at EQSlevel were analyzed with a recovery between 95 and 105 %. Additionally real surface water samples wereinvestigated and the TBT concentration for the whole water body was determined and compared withconventional routine analysis method.
The β-secretase or β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is the enzyme responsible for the formation of amyloid-β peptides, which have a major role in Alzheimer pathogenesis. BACE1 has a transmembrane sequence (TMS), which makes it unique among related proteases. We noticed that the BACE1 TMS contains an uncommon sulfur-rich motif. The sequence MxxxCxxxMxxxCxMxC spans the entire TMS, resembles metal ion binding motifs, and is highly conserved among homologues. We used a synthetic 31-mer model peptide comprising the TMS to study metal ion binding and oligomerization. Applying diverse biochemical and biophysical techniques, we detected dimer and trimer formation of the TMS peptide with copper ions. Replacement of the central Cys466 by Ala essentially abolished these effects. We show that the peptide undergoes a redox reaction with copper ions resulting in a disulfide bridge involving Cys466. Further, we find peptide trimerization that depends on the presence of monovalent copper ions and the sulfhydryl group of Cys466. We identified Cys466 as a key residue for metal ion chelation and to be the core of an oligomerization motif of the BACE1-TMS peptide. Our results demonstrate a novel metal ion controlled oligomerization of the BACE1 TMS, which could have an enormous therapeutic importance against Alzheimer disease.
We developed new procedures for internal standardization and calibration to be used for laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for elemental micro mapping imaging of biological samples like Western blot membranes and tissue sections. These procedures are based on printing of metal spiked inks onto the top of thin layer samples for simultaneous internal standardization and calibration of LA-ICP-MS. In the case of internal standardization the ink is spiked with indium as an internal standard and homogenously printed over the entire membrane (size 56 cm2) prior to LA-ICP-MS detection, a standard deviation (RSD) value of 2% was achieved. In the second approach the metal content of lanthanide tagged proteins and antibodies after biological work flows was quantified by LA-ICP-MS on nitro-cellulose membranes. In this case the inks spiked with varying metals were printed with different densities on the same nitrocellulose membranes in well-defined squares to produce matrix-matched calibration standards. For validation and calibration the ink squares were excised and the specific metal content was measured by liquid ICP-MS after solubilization of the membrane slice. For the printed calibration standard limits of detection (LOD) of <4 fmol for different metals and relative process standard deviations of 12% only were determined via LA-ICP-MS.
Speciation and imaging of Gd containing MRI contrast agents in environmental samples by ICP-MS
(2014)
By adding a gold core to silica nanoparticles (BrightSilica), silica-like nanoparticles are generated that, unlike unmodified silica nanoparticles, provide three types of complementary information to investigate the silica nano-biointeraction inside eukaryotic cells in situ. Firstly, organic molecules in proximity of and penetrating into the silica shell in live cells are monitored by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The SERS data show interaction of the hybrid silica particles with tyrosine, cysteine and phenylalanine side chains of adsorbed proteins. Composition of the biomolecular corona of BrightSilica nanoparticles differs in fibroblast and macrophage cells. Secondly, quantification of the BrightSilica nanoparticles using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) micromapping indicates a different interaction of silica nanoparticles compared to gold nanoparticles under the same experimental conditions. Thirdly, the metal cores allow the investigation of particle distribution and interaction in the cellular ultrastructure by cryo nanoscale X-ray tomography (cryo-XT). In 3D reconstructions the assumption is confirmed that BrightSilica nanoparticles enter cells by an endocytotic mechanism. The high SERS intensities are explained by the beneficial plasmonic properties due to agglomeration of BrightSilica. The results have implications for the development of multi-modal qualitative and quantitative characterization in comparative nanotoxicology and bionanotechnology.
The analysis of single cells is a growing research field in many disciplines such as toxicology, medical diagnosis, drug and cancer research or metallomics, and different methods based on microscopic, mass spectrometric, and spectroscopic techniques are under investigation. This review focuses on the most recent trends in which inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ICP optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) are applied for single-cell analysis using metal atoms being intrinsically present in cells, taken up by cells (e.g., nanoparticles), or which are artificially bound to a cell. For the latter, especially element tagged antibodies are of high interest and are discussed in the review. The application of different sample introduction systems for liquid analysis (pneumatic nebulization, droplet generation) and elemental imaging by laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) of single cells are highlighted. Because of the high complexity of biological systems and for a better understanding of processes and dynamics of biologically or medically relevant cells, the authors discuss the idea of 'multimodal spectroscopies.'
The cellular response to nanoparticle exposure is essential in various contexts, especially in nanotoxicity and nanomedicine. Here, 14-nm gold nanoparticles in 3T3 fibroblast cells are investigated in a series of pulse-chase experiments with a 30-min incubation pulse and chase times ranging from 15 min to 48 h. The gold nanoparticles and their aggregates are quantified inside the cellular ultrastructure by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry micromapping and evaluated regarding the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals. In this way, both information about their localization at the micrometre scale and their molecular nanoenvironment, respectively, is obtained and can be related. Thus, the nanoparticle pathway from endocytotic uptake, intracellular processing, to cell division can be followed. It is shown that the ability of the intracellular nanoparticles and their accumulations and aggregates to support high SERS signals is neither directly related to nanoparticle amount nor to high local nanoparticle densities. The SERS data indicate that aggregate geometry and interparticle distances in the cell must change in the course of endosomal maturation and play a critical role for a specific gold nanoparticle type in order to act as efficient SERS nanoprobe. This finding is supported by TEM images, showing only a minor portion of aggregates that present small interparticle spacing. The SERS spectra obtained after different chase times show a changing composition and/or structure of the biomolecule corona of the gold nanoparticles as a consequence of endosomal processing.
An efficient solid phase extraction (SPE) method using bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-phosphate (HDEHP) coated reverse phase C18 support has been developed for the pre-concentration of Gadolinium (Gd) and Gd contrast agents widely used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Enrichment of Gd in the ionic form has been compared with strong cation exchange material Chromabond SA (SCX), weak ion exchange material Chelex-100 and also with lanthanide specific HDEHP modified reverse phase C18. The determination of Gd and its complexes after enrichment were performed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and on the basis of 158Gd. Among the three SPE materials, HDEHP coated reverse phase C18 SPE has been found to be most efficient, yielding a hundredfold Gd enrichment with > 95% recovery for linear and cyclic contrast agents like Gd-DTPA (Magnevist), Gd-DOTA (Dotarem), Gd-BOPTA (Multihance), and Gd-BT-DO3A (Gadovist). The developed SPE method has been successfully applied to the surface water and waste water samples originated from different places in Berlin, Germany. The results were in good agreement with the results obtained with direct measurement with ICP-MS. The developed pre-concentration method can be efficiently used for the determination of trace levels of gadolinium in the environment even with less sensitive analytical techniques.
Elementmassenspektrometrie und Metallomics als neue Herausforderung für die Lebenswissenschaften
(2009)
In this work, we report on the application of hyphenated gas source mass spectrometry to study and understand the mechanism of the reduction-distillation of ZnO using Al powder as reductant in its activated and inactivated form. The experiments revealed that the purity of the Zn metal produced were superior using activated Al with respect to inactivated Al, i.e., m5N8 (99.9998% metallic based) versus m5N3. The achieved purity levels of Zn and the absence of high volatile Cd, Mg, and Sb impurities in the gas phase and the material collected were explained with respect to the impurity elements free-energy values, vapor pressure data, and an observed scavenging effect of the Ta crucible, which was supported by the on-line observed mass spectrometric profiles of the residual gas.
We report herein the utilization of a vacuum reduction distillation system (VRDS) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) to characterize chemical transformations in thermal analysis. The system initially designed to monitor metal purification by distillation is applied for the first time to the catalytic reaction of in situ formed nickel oxide during the carbothermic reduction of zinc oxide.
A fast and mild method for iodine labelling of proteins is presented which is specifically designed and optimized for laser ablation (LA-)ICP-MS based proteomics. Single proteins (lysozyme, bovine serum albumin, cytochrome c and β-casein), whole proteomes (microsomal proteome of rats) and antibodies (anti-bovine casein, anti-bovine serum albumin) can be efficiently iodinated by means of potassium triiodide with minimal losses of antigen properties and antibody binding to iodinated proteins. A comparison with iodination by use of IODO-Beads is presented and it is shown that triiodide labelling is a fast, cheap and less laborious alternative without compromising the analytical figures of merit.
Quantitative analysis of cytochrome P450 (CYP) patterns of cells and tissues is an important aspect in toxicological and pharmacological research as this group of enzymes is largely involved in the metabolism of toxic compounds and drugs. Here we present a method for the multi-parametric and simultaneous quantitative determination of several cytochromes P450 in liver microsomes of untreated and inducer treated rats. The method is based on the binding of specifically lanthanide labelled antibodies to electrophoretically separated and blotted CYP proteins and their subsequent identification and quantification by LA-ICP-MS. CYP1A1, CYP2B1, CYP2C11, CYP2E1 and CYP3A1 were simultaneously quantified and the patterns between microsomal samples were compared. Microsomes of rats treated with 3-methylcholanthrene, phenobarbital and dexamethasone showed increased levels of CYP1A1, CYP2B1 and CYP3A1, respectively. These results coincide with data obtained by independent methods for CYP quantification, i.e. ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity for CYP1A1 and pentoxyresorufin O-depentylase for CYP2B1. The presented method is useful for multi-parametric CYP profiling and has further large potential with respect to the number of analysed parameters/proteins and sensitivity.
The aim of this series of two reviews is to introduce the basic concepts of ICP and GD sector field instruments, to discuss their peculiarities and performance, to present selected analytical applications for demonstration of the 'state of the art' and, finally, to identify possible future trends and developments. Part I focuses on fundamentals, instrumentation and operation of instruments to give an overview of the capabilities of the actual commercially available instrumentation, whereas selected applications will be discussed in detail in part II.
Part I of this series of two reviews focused on fundamentals, instrumentation and operation of sector field instruments to give a proper overview of the capabilities of the actual commercially available instrumentation. In part II, selected applications of the last decade are discussed in detail concluding with pinpointing possible future trends and current developments.
Speciation of Se in fish is needed to elucidate the metabolism of this element in living organisms in the marine environment. In this paper, selenium concentration and its species distribution in several organs and tissues (liver, gills, kidney, muscle and gastrointestinal tract) of African catfish fed with a selenium-enriched garlic based diet was studied. The intention of this paper is focused on both the investigation of selenium distribution in the soluble protein fraction and the detection of selenoaminoacids. Thus, two different procedures have been developed. In the first procedure, screening of selenium in proteins in the Tris-buffer soluble fraction of different tissues was carried out by size exclusion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS) and by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) after sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) separation and electroblotting onto membranes. For the amino acid analysis, several sample treatments for Se-species extraction, based on enzymatic hydrolysis, were compared. The best results were obtained for incubation at controlled temperature. Application of several sample treatments in conjunction with different chromatographic techniques (reverse phase, anion exchange and ion exchange/size exclusion) was crucial to unambiguous Se-species identification. In Se-enriched African catfish a noticeable increase in the content of selenium in different organs was observed, except for the liver, where the Se level remained unaltered. The kidney was the Se-target organ in animals fed with enriched Se food. Selenomethionine (SeMet) was the main Se species identified in fillet extracts, whereas the presence of selenocysteine (SeCys) was detected in the liver and both SeMet and SeCys were present in the kidney.
A reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled to an inductively coupled Plasma mass spectrometer (HPLC–ICP-MS) approach in combination with isotope dilution analysis (IDA) for the separation and parallel quantification of nanostructured and ionic silver (Ag) is presented. The main Focus of this work was the determination of the ionic Ag concentration. For a sufficient stabilization of the Ions without dissolving the nanoparticles (NPs), the eluent had to be initially optimized. The determined Ag ion concentration was in a good agreement with results obtained using ultrafiltration. Further, the mechanism of the NP separation in the HPLC column was investigated. Typical size exclusion effects were found by comparing results from columns with different pore sizes. Since the recovery rates decreased with increasing Ag NP size and large Ag NPs did not elute from the column, additional interactions of the particles with the stationary phase were assumed. Our results reveal that the presented method is not only applicable to Ag NPs, but also to gold and polystyrene NPs. Finally, IDA-HPLC-ICP-MS experiments in single particle mode were performed to determine the particle cut-off size. The comparison with conventional spICP-MS experiments resulted in a similar diameter and particle size distribution.
Single particle ICP-MS (spICP-MS) has gained great influence in the analysis of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) due to its simplicity, speed and ability to obtain a particle number size distribution. Despite its many advantages, the method is hampered by matrix effects affecting the sensitivity of the instruments.
Consequently, over- or underestimated particle sizes might be obtained. To overcome these challenges, we present in this work the detection of both Ag isotopes with a quadrupole mass spectrometer for the application of isotopic dilution analysis (IDA) in combination with spICP-MS. Here, the isotopes are measured sequentially using the conventional spICP-MS integration time of 10 ms. Citrate stabilized Ag NPs of a spherical shape with the nominal diameters of 30, 40, 50 and 80 nm have been investigated.
The experimental concept of adding ¹⁰⁹Ag+ solutions to the NP suspensions resulted in the NP Spikes being only visible in the ¹⁰⁷Ag trace. Therefore, a maximum of 45% of the particles was detected compared to that by conventional spICP-MS. A modified mass flow equation was applied to determine the particle sizes, particle size distributions and particle number concentrations of various Ag NPs. The addition of different spike concentrations between 0.5 and 4 mg L⁻¹ ¹⁰⁹Ag resulted in similar particle diameters, suggesting that the calculated diameter might be independent of the spike concentration.
This would have the advantage that no size information would be needed before the analysis. By analyzing Ag NP suspensions in a simulated seawater matrix, we demonstrate its significant influence on the particle size determination using conventional spICP-MS. A lower transport efficiency of 6.1% was found in the matrix compared to 7.3% without the matrix. In our approach, the addition of the Matrix influenced the NP intensity stronger than the spike signal, resulting in slightly smaller diameters using IDA–spICP-MS with the matrix compared to the results without the matrix. On the other hand, the IDA–spICP-MS approach with the matrix can result in equivalent results for the particle sizes compared with
conventional spICP-MS using suspensions without the matrix. Due to the lower instrument sensitivity in the matrix, a diameter of 30 nm was found to be close to the detection limit of the instrument.
ICP-MS is based on the formation of (preferentially monovalent positively)charged atomic ions in an inductively coupled Ar plasma at almost 10 000 K. The ions formed are transferred from the plasma source at ambient pressure into a mass Separator operated at high vacuum via a set of cones. The ions are separate«! according to their mass/charge ratio in the mass Separator (quadrupole, magnetic sector field or time-of-flight mass Separator). In most cases, the ions are detected using a secondaiy electron multiplier; in some set-ups (also) a Faraday cup can be used. Single-collector (scanning mass spectrometer usually used for quantitative elemental analysis) or multicollector (static Operation of mass spectrometer for precise isotope ratio analysis) configurations can be found.
In this work, a routinely applicable approach is presented to characterize metal NPs. Individual droplets generated from a microdroplet generator (MDG) were merged into an aerosol generated by a pneumatic nebulizer (PN) and introduced into an ICPMS. The MDG offers high transport efficiency of individual and discrete droplets and was therefore used to establish a calibration function for mass quantification of NPs which were introduced through the PN following the single particle procedure as described elsewhere. The major advantages of such a combined configuration include fast processing of large sample volumes, fast exchanges of different sample matrixes, and the calibration of the NP signal using traceable elemental standards, thus avoiding the need to use NP reference materials or other, not always thoroughly characterized, commercially available NPs. The transport efficiency of the sample introduction is calculated based on the fact that 100% of the calibrant reaches the plasma through the MDG, whereas for the PN a NP suspension containing a known number concentration is used. Alternatively, bulk analysis of the NP material allows transport efficiency determination without any additional information from reference NPs. With this method, we could determine the size of standard silver NPs at 60.4 ± 1.0 nm and 80.0 ± 1.4 nm, respectively, which agrees with the size ranges given by the supplier (60.8 ± 6.6 nm and 79.8 ± 5.4 nm). Furthermore, we were also able to determine the NPs number concentration of the sample (Ag/Au) with a deviation of 3.2% the expected value.